Graham Hill (1962, 1968) and Damon Hill (1996) are the only other father and son to have won the title, with Rosberg saying his father had always given support.

"Every Saturday night I get a text from him: 'Pedal to the metal.' That's it,” he said.

"It's been good how he's let me get on with it and taken a step back. So I'm very thankful for that.”

The final race was not without controversy, with Hamilton, who was pushing for a fourth title and a third in a row, disobeying team orders by slowing down to allow other drivers to close up on Rosberg.

Rosberg, who needed to finish no lower than third to take the crown, held on, but said it was hard to concentrate with Sebastien Vettel close on his tail in third.

"It was so intense, the race, so tough,” said Rosberg, who finished runner-up to Hamilton in the past two years.

Mercedes teammates Rosberg and Hamilton have had a tense relationship but the new champion said he was proud he could finallty get one over on his rival.

"It's unbelievably special to beat him because the level's so high,” he said.

"It makes this so much more satisfying for me, because he's the benchmark and I took the world championship away from him.”